Granddaughter of renowned author Roald Dahl, Sophie was propelled into the headlines having been discovered in tears by fashion icon & all-around maverick, the now sadly departed Isabella Blow. Ms. Blow thought her utterly divine and an obvious choice for a model, and thus began her career in the limelight.

Dahl received equal praise & raised eyebrows for being far larger than the average model. Having lost weight later in her career, she then met with a wall of derision on one side – the “See, she was only pretending to be happy whilst fat” argument – and sneering contempt on the other – the “she is a traitor to all women and should be ashamed of herself for encouraging anorexia” argument; both of which ventured well into the realms of the ridiculous and from (mainly women) who should know better.

The Man with the Dancing Eyes by Sophie Dahl

Having also known success as a published author (and then been accused of copying her grandfather) and then having the temerity to marry a chap who’s shorter than her (musician, Jamie Cullum. Okay he’s actually quite a lot shorter than her but still. She is a model!) it’s fair to say that Miss Dahl’s life has not been without incident to date.

Sophie Dahl with her husband, Jamie Cullum

The latest accusations to be slung her way involve Sophie having “stolen” Nigella Lawson’s shtick (making doe eyes at the camera and licking icing from her fingers) in the new BBC television show to accompany her recent cookery book; The Delicious Miss Dahl.

I have to say that, yes, of course there are similarities, but if we are saying there’s only room for one fluttery-eyelashed posh sounding female cook on TV, shall we pause for breath and count the number of identikit Shouty Male Chefs or Cockney Geezer Cooks there are currently sprawled over the schedules? No. Instead we shall call for hush and – love or loathe her presenting style – admire her fashion style instead.

She has always had a penchant for vintage, and that sort of terribly British, charmingly faded country-house grandeur. It’s a style I also happen to love, as you may see from the Dahl-esque collection I have sourced for your delectation…

I love the apple bowls! and they are a funny couple height wise but seem very in love- I like the poetry and book extracts she chooses on the programme- none of them are terribly unusual but they are ones I like none the less. And the rhubabr and rosewater eton mess is something I need to make when rhubarb is in season!

I love Sophie Dahl. I had a weekly feature where I’d recap her show. She got dumped on so badly it was really quite shocking. What’s the problem, people? We need more loveliness and culture in this world!

I loved her show – yes it was a little dreamy in places and perhaps she did talk more than she cooked but I’ve tried so many of her recipes and they were all gorgeous! Couldn’t help sighing at the beautiful crockery and kitchen set design either and as someone whose beau is a couple of inches shorter than I – must say that the obsession everyone besides Sophie and Jamie have with their height is more than a tad unkind. Does it really matter who is taller!? What a shallow thing to be pernickety about!

Thank you so much for your comment, Jem – it’s always lovely to hear from other people who liked Sophie’s show. I just don’t understand why she generates such nastiness in the press. Jealousy, probably. I love her show and her sense of style! x